Summary Third Race Day
Day 3
Will the wind ever stop? Apparently it only gets stronger!
One race today, quickly squeezed in before the true storm began.
The first race began with local boats Saskia and Spirit beginning slightly early...and having to come back around to chase the rest of the fleet up the leg. In the first leg the Italians in Vision had a cracker of a beat, beating the moderns round the top mark! Followed closely by Yequem.
Sadly the high winds finally took its toll on some boats with Severn's jib halyard making it (almost) all the way up to the top mark before snapping and dropping their genoa unfortunately causing them to retire. Meanwhile Starling Burgess were very committed to the highland games night, donating their wooden mast to be used for the caber tossing! Helen tried to go spear fishing with their spinnaker pole sticking it a metre under water before it finally gave up. Let's just say it was a good day to be a sail maker and not a day to own a wooden boat!
On the 2nd run very few kites were seen, including the guys on falcon who chose well to not hoist and overtook Vision who had a very close broach during the gybe. Quite a number of the fleet watching this decided that tacking on the downwind was actually the safer option! I think everyone was a bit jealous of the Njord of Cowes ability to reef their main although they commented on the fact that the jib trimmer was at points wincing their jib in whilst the entire winch and handle was under the water!
The results by the end threw some spanners in the works with 4 boats not finishing. Well done to Yequem II on their first, Carron II on taking a 2nd and Falcon taking 3rd
Tonight we brace the very highland weather for some highland games followed by a whisky tasting sponsored generously by Benromach Distillery. With even more wind forecast tomorrows racing is cancelled so the whisky will be a plenty!
